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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27071269">Chances Worth Taking</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitehorsetiger/pseuds/whitehorsetiger'>whitehorsetiger</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-09 00:42:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,761</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27071269</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitehorsetiger/pseuds/whitehorsetiger</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As she went, her attention was caught by someone standing towards the edge of the park, looking up at a tree. He was shouting something up into the tree, gesturing a little. Alright, she was intrigued now. After checking her watch again, Rayla headed towards him. She had time.</p><p>Rayla's life is stagnating, she's a little lost of where she's going. Maybe it's time to start shaking up her life a little and she can start by befriending and possibly asking out the man she seems to keep running into.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>83</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Chances Worth Taking</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rayla frowned as she checked her watch, before letting out a long breath. She thought she’d got this whole thing sorted out. When one of her co-workers had wanted to switch their Tuesday shift, Rayla had jumped at the chance to change her Friday shift. She thought it was going to be perfect. For one, the Tuesday shift was never as busy as the Friday shift in the small café where she worked. For another, she had a lecture on Tuesday and not on Friday, which for most people wouldn’t be ideal, but it meant she could now spend her whole Friday doing other things. Finally, she just wanted a little bit of a change in her life.</p><p>Rayla checked her watch again, willing for time to go just a little bit faster. She’d planned this all out perfectly so, of course, her walk from the lecture theatre to her job took a much shorter time than she thought. That left her in an awkward position. There wasn’t enough time to go anywhere else, but if she went right to work she would be too early. Alright then, looks like she was going for a nice walk through the park before heading to work.</p><p>There were a few people out and about, enjoying the few days of sun before they inevitably went back to the cold raininess that was spring. It was… nice. The park wasn’t amazing, sure the trees and flowers were interesting enough, and some of those sculptures were… something. It was fine, but not that exciting. It dragged out her walk to work in a nice way though, so she wasn’t going to complain.</p><p>As she went, her attention was caught by someone standing towards the edge of the park, looking up at a tree. He was shouting something up into the tree, gesturing a little. Alright, she was intrigued now. After checking her watch again, Rayla headed towards him. She had time.</p><p>“Come on, Bait,” he was saying when she came within earshot, “Don’t do this to me. You know Ezran will be upset if you don’t come home.”</p><p>“Um,” Rayla called, raising her hand, “Hey, are you alright?”</p><p>He looked over and—<em>ah</em>, he was kind of cute.</p><p>“Oh, yes,” he replied, “It’s just my brother’s cat is stuck up this tree and is <em>not</em> coming down. I don’t know if he’s stuck or just stubborn.”</p><p>Rayla shuffled around to stand beside him and, yes, there was a large yellow cat quite high up in the tree.</p><p>“Right,” she affirmed.</p><p>“I don’t want to go up there in case he bolts again,” he continued, “So I’m trying to tempt him down but didn’t bring any treats.”</p><p>“Okay then,” Rayla said, dropping her backpack by his feet, “I’ll go up. You can grab him if he bolts.”</p><p>“You don’t have to do that.”</p><p>“No, but I want to and don’t have anything better to do.”</p><p>It had been a while since she’d climbed a tree, but she thankfully hadn’t forgotten how to. Honestly, she was expecting to only get part way up before the cat tried to make a break for it. He didn’t though. Instead he just stared at her, blinking his large eyes at her and flicking his tail. He didn’t even react when she reached to pick him up, just grumbling a bit but letting her handle him.</p><p>She clambered back down, the cat tucked under her arm as she dropped from the tree.</p><p>“Here,” she said, holding the cat out, who just remained limp, “I can’t believe he managed to get past you.”</p><p>The other person let out a long-suffering huff of breath, taking the cat out of her hands.</p><p>“He can move incredibly fast when he wants too,” he defended.</p><p>In response, the cat immediately started purring, pawing lightly at his shirt. The guy grabbed his backpack, swinging it over his shoulder.</p><p>“Thank you,” he said, “Really, I appreciate it, can I—”</p><p>Rayla’s watch beeped and she glanced down at it, frowning. Well, looked like dawdling time was over.</p><p>“Sorry, I need to get moving,” she said, smiling, “I have work but, don’t worry about it, I’m happy to help.”</p><p>“Oh, yeah of course, sorry for keeping you,” he replied.</p><p>“No, it’s fine, happy to help,” Rayla said.</p><p>She grabbed her backpack, shooting him one last smile before making her way to café. Well, at least something interesting happened today.</p><p>****</p><p>“Wow, you look like a mess,” were the words that greeted her when she walked into the café.</p><p>“Thanks,” Rayla responded dryly, making her way into the back room to get changed.</p><p>She didn’t look that bad, just a little bit ruffed up. Honestly her clothes were in really good condition considering she had just climbed a tree. Then again, Nyx did have an annoying habit of being overly dramatic sometimes, or maybe she just liked to annoy Rayla. Either was possible.</p><p>It only took a few minutes for her to straighten her clothes and hair out, before pulling on her uniform and making her way out.</p><p>Rayla washed her hands, then took the empty spot by the till.</p><p>“So, what happened?” Nyx asked.</p><p>Rayla frowned a little. “What?”</p><p>“Why did you come in looking all…” Nyx prompted, gesturing idly to her.</p><p>Rayla let out a long breath, tapping her fingers on the counter for a moment.</p><p>“I climbed up a tree to help someone get their cat out of it,” she explained.</p><p>“You climbed up a tree to get a cat out of it?” Nyx repeated, “Really?”</p><p>“Yes,” Rayla said, “I had time and didn’t want to just leave him there.”</p><p>“Alright,” Nyx said, raising her eyebrows.</p><p>Rayla resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It wasn’t worth it. No matter how much Rayla explained it, Nyx probably wouldn’t understand why Rayla helped him out.</p><p>The workday passed pretty normally after that. They tended to get surges of customers around the hour when classes usually got out. It was fine; Rayla was used to it. Luckily, most of their customers were people who were just desperate for caffeine of any kind, so there was nothing too complicated for her to punch into the till or make.</p><p>Everything had lulled down as it was nearing the end of her shift. She’d tidied up a little bit and cleaned what she could and now it was just a matter of serving the stragglers and waiting for the next shift to relieve her. The bell above the door jingled and Rayla plastered on her customer-service smile that shifted to a slightly surprised look before turning into more genuine smile. It was the guy from earlier. He seemed to recognise her too, but was much less adept as schooling his surprised expression.</p><p>“Did you manage to get your cat back home?” she asked as he approached the counter.</p><p>“Oh, yes, he is normally pretty relaxed once you get a hold of him,” he said, smiling lightly.</p><p>“That’s good,” Rayla replied, “So, what can I get you?”</p><p>“Two hot chocolates to go please.”</p><p>The rest of the interaction was routine, and he left with his hot chocolates not long after.</p><p>“So,” Nyx said, dragging out the word, “What was that about?”</p><p>“That’s the guy I helped get his cat out of a tree,” Rayla stated, eyes flicking over to the clock.</p><p>“Yes, I figured,” Nyx replied, rolling her eyes, “I’m talking about that smile.”</p><p>Rayla’s eyebrows twitched up slightly. “What smile? I always smile at customers.”</p><p>“Yes, your customer-service smile. That was a real smile,” Nyx said, “I think.”</p><p>“Oh, look, it’s time for me to go,” Rayla deflected, bell ringing as her relief made his way in, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”</p><p>She quickly ducked into the back before Nyx could say anything else. Hopefully she will have forgotten all about it tomorrow. Unlikely, but Rayla could always hope.</p><p>****</p><p>Luckily, there were three of them working the next day, and Nyx was only working for half the day, so it was very easy to avoid her. Maybe it was a little childish, but honestly she did not need Nyx mocking her for having a crush on a guy she’d met twice and didn’t even know the name of.</p><p>On Thursday morning Rayla didn’t have work or any lectures until one, so she decided to get some work done. That… was easier said than done. At some point between choosing what she wanted to do and where she was now, she’d had a change of heart. Now, she was a little stumped. Should she stop what she was doing? Should she stick with it? Who knows?</p><p>Anyway, she was still going to do something productive, even if she was doubting if she actually wanted to do it anymore. Grabbing her stuff, Rayla made her way to the library, since she didn’t really need the distraction of her housemates.</p><p>Upon arriving, Rayla quickly laid claim to a table, spreading out her supplies and getting to work.</p><p>“Hey,” called a hushed voice.</p><p>Rayla looked up, blinking in surprise. Seriously, she’d gone her whole life never seeing this guy, then three times in three days? Crazy things happen when you switch up your schedule.</p><p>“Do you mind if I sit here?” he whispered, “There aren’t any other tables.”</p><p>Rayla glanced around, no, there really wasn’t anywhere else for him to sit.</p><p>“Oh, yeah sure,” she said quietly.</p><p>He smiled, settling himself down while Rayla returned to her work.</p><p>However, it didn’t take long for her to become mildly fed up. Concentration broken, her eyes flicked up to look at her companion across the table. There was a sticker on his shirt, ‘Callum’ written neatly on it. Alright, it’s not like she wanted to do her work anyway. Grabbing her notebook, Rayla scribbled out a message.</p><p>
  <em>Team building exercises?</em>
</p><p>She slid it across the table, rotating it so it was facing him. He glanced from the paper to her, before he slid the notebook the rest of the way across to him. His eyes flicked across the sentence, before looking up at her in confusion. She pointed to her own chest where his sticker was. He looked down, understanding dawning over his face. Grabbing his pen, he scribbled a reply before sliding it back across to her.</p><p>
  <strong>Something like that, group work.</strong>
</p><p>Rayla screwed up her face a little, before writing back.</p><p>
  <em>Ah, that sucks.</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>It could have been worse, lucky we had these because there was one guy who knew my name and I had no idea who he was.</strong>
</p><p>Rayla snorted at that, quickly placing her hand over her mouth and glancing around. No one was giving her dirty looks, so it was probably alright.</p><p>
  <em>It gets to the point where it’s just awkward to ask.</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>I felt so bad, I had no idea who he was, if he was even part of my course and he knew who I was?</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Nightmare.</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>I know, but luckily name tags.</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>My name is Rayla by the way, seeing as though it’s a little late for you to ask.</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>Thank you I’ve been wondering for the past few notes when it would be a good idea to ask you.</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Well I did have an advantage with that.</em>
</p><p>They passed notes back and forth for a little while, not really talking about anything important or deep. It was nice, and Callum’s doodles were adorable. Eventually though, Callum had to leave for a lecture and Rayla had to return to her work. That was much less fun.</p><p>****</p><p>Rayla didn’t see Callum again, which made sense; Her schedule for the latter part of the week remained pretty unchanged from the usual. The next Tuesday though he did wander in during her shift, but this time he wasn’t alone.</p><p>She was a young woman, with black hair was tipped dark purple at the ends and a white streak. It was an… interesting look but didn’t look too bad.</p><p>“This one’s on me,” Callum said, as the two of them wandered up to the counter.</p><p>The woman hummed, “If you’re sure?”</p><p>Callum nodded. “I owe you one anyway.”</p><p>“Alright then,” she agreed, “I’ll just have a coffee.”</p><p>Callum nodded again, heading up to the counter as the woman made her way to one of the tables.</p><p>“Hi, Rayla,” he greeted with a smile, “How are you?”</p><p>“I’m alright, just been working and studying. You?” she asked.</p><p>“Ah yes, I’m good and me too,” Callum said, “I’ve also been helping my younger brother with his work and I swear some of it is harder than what I have to do.”</p><p>Rayla snorted softly, shaking her head, “Alright, can’t say I have much experience with that. So, what can I get you?”</p><p>He ordered, before taking the cups over to the woman who was sat by the window. It didn’t look like a date, but then again it wasn’t always easy to tell. Then again <em>again</em>… why should she care?</p><p>****</p><p>Rayla was wandering through the park again, on her way back from work this time. It was a little bit colder now, but there were still some people out and about. Tucking her hands in her jacket pocket, she began to make her way through.</p><p>There wasn’t any rush to get home, hence walking through the park to begin with, so she decided to take a walk around the pond. A few hopeful ducks came swimming towards her, staring up pleadingly. She felt kind of bad that she didn’t have anything for them.</p><p>Moving on, she approached a copse and had to stop a moment and blink. There was Callum, sat under a tree, book open across his knee. Well, seeing as though Rayla was walking right towards him anyway, she might as well go say hello.</p><p>“Hey,” she greeted.</p><p>Callum jumped slightly, making Rayla smile, then he looked up and returned the smile.</p><p>“Hi.”</p><p>“Don’t you think it’s a little cold to just be sat out here?” Rayla asked.</p><p>Callum shrugged, nodding to his—what Rayla could only assume was a—sketchbook on his knee.</p><p>“I wanted to get out of the flat for a bit and I like the view out here,” he explained, “Some family friends are visiting and it’s a bit busy at home.”</p><p>“Ah, so that woman you came in with?” Rayla asked.</p><p>Callum nodded, leaning back against the tree he was sat under.</p><p>“Yeah, that was Claudia,” he said, “I’ve known her and her brother my whole life.”</p><p>Rayla nodded. “It’s nice that they came to visit.”</p><p>Callum nodded again, then sighed, “It is, but it doesn’t always make it easy to work.”</p><p>Rayla felt a slight pang of guilt, both for interrupting and because she really should be doing her own work right now, but she could not find the will to tear herself away from Callum. She did have some work in her bag, she supposed…</p><p>“No, I guess not,” she said, shaking her head, “Mind if I sit here?”</p><p>“No, go ahead,” he said.</p><p>Rayla sat beside him, pulling out her own work.</p><p>****</p><p>By the next Tuesday, Rayla had made a decision and had even managed to come up with a plan. Now, all she had to do was execute it. No problem! There were quite a few things in her life she wasn’t sure about right now, but she was sure about this.</p><p>When Callum wandered in, she could feel her cheeks heat up a little. There was no way she was backing out of it now though. She was relieved when he ordered to go then moved away from the counter. It was now or never. Grabbing a to-go cup and a pen, she quickly scribbled down:</p><p>
  <strong>Date</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>xxx xxx xxxxx</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Rayla</strong>
</p><p>Luckily Nyx didn’t make a comment when she saw what Rayla had done, but her expression was clear. Rayla was in for a hell of a lot of teasing later, but if it got her message through, it was worth it.</p><p>When his order was called, Callum grabbed his drink and left without reading what was on his cup. Rayla was both relieved and even more nervous.</p><p>When the queue was gone, and the café was empty, Nyx turned to Rayla with a grin on her face.</p><p>“So…” she drawled.</p><p>Rayla pulled a face. This was going to be a long shift.</p><p>****</p><p>It wasn’t until she made it back home that her phone vibrated with a text from an unknown number.</p><p>
  <strong>Unknown: Lunch?</strong>
</p><p>Rayla smiled, dropping to sit at her desk.</p><p>
  <strong>Rayla: How does Friday sound?</strong>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I wrote a coffee shop AU...I may turn it into a series, we'll see.</p><p>Comments and kudos are appreciated, I hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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